Lifting Scores for Military Customers

10/20/2014

New Approach Elevates Service, Opportunities

A new day is dawning for Atlas’ military business. And it brings good things for Atlas agents.

In 2009, Uncle Sam introduced a new method for allocating military moves. Referred to as DP3, it puts a new emphasis on service. Avail is answering this new emphasis to create more opportunities for Atlas agents.

“It used to be fairly standard, especially during the peak season, for us to pick shipments up and warehouse them until we could get them routed,” says Bob Ewing, Senior Director of Military Services.

“We now load directly onto the truck for delivery, it’s our new standard procedure,” says Bob. “This will enhance our service and timeliness, which will help us earn a greater volume of military moves. It makes good business sense.”

Agent, Choose Your LoadTo keep agents abreast of opportunities, Avail worked with Atlas IT to develop an online “move board.” Agents can view the available military loads in the Atlas system and pick the ones they wish to pack and haul.

“We rolled the move board out in March,” says Bob. “Participation is by invitation—we want to make sure agents have the training and understand the rules of engagement. As with any tool, knowing how to use it makes a difference.”

Military Specialists Support Agent PerformanceThe military evaluates the satisfaction of its service personnel through completed surveys. Providers who score well get more business. Those who do not receive less or, in some cases, are eliminated from consideration. To help Atlas agents achieve their desired scores, Avail supports them with two full-time Military Specialists, Lisa Weis and Mike Smith.

“We analyze the performance data and feed it back to the agents,” says Mike. “We want them to know what they are doing well, and where they can improve performance.”

Mike and Lisa send reports to agents monthly. These often include specific comments from customers, which are helpful in understanding the reasons for scores. Earlier this year, they reviewed the more than 400 customer comments received during 2012.

“We identified the top five service opportunities overall,” says Lisa. “Individually, we don’t react to just one comment, but in total we look at patterns of what makes customers happy or unhappy.”

“We want to make our reports as relevant to each agent’s success as we can,” says Mike. “When they have a special need for information, all they have to do is let us know and we’ll get it.”

Featured

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What if you could walk through your customer’s home from the other side of the world? Or see every text message thread from your customer throughout the move? Or get immediate feedback for improving service on a move while it is taking place? You Can.

Each month, thousands of families go new places® with the help of Atlas® Agents. And each month, expressions of gratitude pour into Atlas via post-move surveys. It’s no wonder the comments often read like fan mail. People go hundreds, even thousands of miles, to get to a new home, a new community, a new job. Throughout their journeys, Atlas Agents provide service that is reliable and reassuring.

In late September, southwest Indiana celebrated a year of major milestones and recognized six individuals for their commitment to regional business at the Annual Meeting and Dinner held by the Southwest Indiana Chamber. One of the individuals honored was Atlas® Chairman & CEO Glen Dunkerson, who was named the 2016 Richard A. Schlottman Business Person of the Year.

Events

In fact, the overarching message for Atlas at the SHRM show was to ease customers’ minds about the relocation process. To demonstrate how Atlas PVO’s and pack/load team members are friends that customers can trust with their household belongings, two life-size cardboard cutouts of crew members stood in the booth for photo opportunities, while attendees were encouraged to share their selfies with the hashtag #MyFriendsAtAtlas.

A group of representatives from multiple Atlas Agencies and Atlas HQ trekked to Las Vegas in late June to set up shop at the annual Convention and Expo of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). In total, more than 630 exhibiting companies filled over 30 aisles with human resource solutions at the Las Vegas Convention Center, making it the largest expo SHRM has ever held.

In 2015, Alexander's Mobility Services (0217) celebrated 20 years of service in the Nashville area, and they did it in a big way. As the largest multi-location agent in the Atlas family, Alexander's moved their Tennessee operations into a new location on the northwest side of the city.